Friday, March 30, 2012, Pancho Harrison

Theme: ODD COUPLES! Each of the similarly clued theme answers are a pair of famous people whose last names combine to form a sound alike fill for the clue. I will always have a soft spot for today's constructor who the created the very first LA Times puzzle when TMS syndicate made the switch. A very proper name intense puzzle, and with six theme answers, all clechos, we have an effort which was clearly a challenge to create. let's play.

17A. Actor roomies' mailbox label that sounds like racing groups? : PITT/CRUISE. Pit Crews. Brad Pitt. Tom Cruise. The two appeared together in Interview with a Vampire.

24A. Actor/flutist roomies' mailbox label that sounds like a crook? : CAAN/MANN. Con man. James Caan. Herbie Mann. a great jazz MUSICIAN. (3:50).

32A. TV host/singer roomies' mailbox label that sounds like a vital sign? : HART/RAITT. Heart rate. Mary Hart recently retired co-host of Entertainment Tonight, who also was one of Regis' early co-hosts; and Bonnie Raitt, daughter of musical theater great John Raitt. Bonnie is a star in her own right, and to be PC, I chose her for all female studio apartment.

45A. Actress/comic roomies' mailbox label that sounds like an auto safety feature? : ROLLE/BARR. Roll bar. Esther Rolle, a Florida girl who found fame as JJ Walker's mom, and your favorite comedienne Roseanne Barr.

51A. Actress/cartoonist roomies' mailbox label that sounds like an airport employee? : SKYE/CAPP. Sky cap. You better tip if you want your bags to travel with you. Ione Skye is the actress. Oddly paired with L'il Abner creator Al Capp.

63A. Screenwriter/actor roomies' mailbox label that sounds like an old announcer?: TOWNE/CRYER. Town crier. Robert Towne wrote the screenplay for such diverse wonderful movies  as Chinatown and Shampoo. Jon Cryer, has made a career of being second banana on Two and a Half Men.

On to the puzzle:

Across:

1. Legendary kicker : PELE. I knew it was going to be a good day when I grokked his thought and the Downs confirmed. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who is still considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time.

5. Go slowly : SEEP. So much for a speed run, this took perps as the fill slowly seeped into my brain.

9. Start to strip? : DRAG. Dragstrip. Whoa boys no strip tease HERE.(0:58) This was filmed in part right here in Ft. Lauderdale at the now torn down Solid Gold.

13. Neural transmitter: AXON. Oh goody, our science learning moment.

14. Old carrier : PAN AM. Soon to be cancelled TV SERIES.

16. Count (on): RELY. You can rely on Pancho for really diverse fill.

19. Fifty-fifty : EVEN. Odds.

20. In the wrong way : ASTRAY. Marti is forever trying to lead us astray.

21. On a cargo ship, say : AT SEA.

23. Mink cousin : STOAT. perhaps you are more familiar with its name Ermine.

28. Jodie Foster title role: NELL. Somewhat disturbing MOVIE.(2:22).

31. First apartment, perhaps : STUDIO. The famous 0 bedroom apartment.

37. Begins a tour : OPENS. They usually open in LA and work east.

38. Flamenco shout : OLE.

39. Cyberspace giant : YAHOO. The now also have their own radio sports network.

41. Waikiki wreath : LEI. Aloha. Not to be confused with 29D. Not clerical : LAY. How utterly ironic

42. Digestion-related commercial prefix : PEPTO. Mel Brooks' street name in this silly MOVIE.

48. Youth who flew too near the sun: ICARUS. His father was DAEDALUS, he was just dead.

50. Appointment : DATE. Hey baby, how about going on an appointment with me?

54. Frankfurt's state : HESSE. Not clued with Herman, but this GEOGRAPHY lesson. Comments KZ?

58. Winningest NFL coach : SHULA. The Dolphins' own Don Shula, now a steak house impresario. I guess after watching all those 300 pounders eat, he saw where the real money was.

59. Resentful : BITTER. Also a type of vetch.

60. Former eft : NEWT. Being non-political, no Gingrich humor here. Maybe we can talk about EFT.

65. Track : OVAL.

66. Net business : E-TAIL. I want in this business, I need a piece of etail now!

67. "Sesame Street" giggler : ELMO. Which is your favorite character?

68. Heredity unit : GENE.

69. "Now!" relative : STAT. Used in hospitals, from the Latin STATIM: Immediately.

70. Road sign silhouette : DEER. Be careful crossing over to the downs, oh dear!

Down:

1. Half a '60s quartet : PAPAS. Beautiful VOICES, (2:34)weird people. Dance Cass, dance! Right Papa Cass?

2. Get a life? : EXIST. A very Camus like clue.

3. Game you usually lose : LOTTO. But you never win if you do not play!

4. 3-Down player, e.g. : ENTRANT. Half a BILLION Dollars!

5. Nimble : SPRY. I associate with old people, even if I am one of them.

6. Seine filler : EAU. The French river is made of water; where are you Lolita? Robin, I thought you were back?

7. 30-ton computer : ENIAC. Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer. An acronym.

8. Ristorante offering : PASTA. Italian lesson.

9. Invent : DREAM UP. Don't you wonder how the constructors dream up so many themes?

10. Gun : REV. Engines, not weapons.

11. Stein filler : ALE. My first thought was Alice B. Toklas, but the beer reference was simpler.

12. MD for women : GYNecolegist. The lady parts doctor.

15. Desert rises : MESAS.

18. Work the party, in a way : CATER.

22. Opposite of exo- : ENTO. Latin prefixes for outside and inside.

25. "A Passage to India" heroine : ADELA. It is Friday, and this BOOK about the tension caused when Adela Quested an Englishwoman accuses an Indian Muslim doctor, Aziz, of attempted sexual assault.

26. Montana, once : NINER. Not the state but Joe the hall of fame quarterback.

27. Respectful response : NO SIR. Yes sir!

30. Alibi provider, sometimes : LIAR. Rhymes with Lawyer.

32. Pueblo people : HOPIS. The too have their 2012 PREDICTIONS.

33. Smart guy? : ALECK. ORIGIN.

34. Make good on : REPAY.

35. However, briefly : THOugh.

36. Blabbed : TOLD. Big mouth.

40. Plug end? : OLA. Plugola. Another term the Payola given to 1950s and 60's DJs to promote acts or products.

43. Railroad crossing : TRESTLE. It is the support, can also be part of a table, etc.

44. "That hurt my feelings!" : OUCH. "If you prick me, do I not bleed?" Hey anon.

46. Code of conduct : ETHIC.

47. Visibly furious : BEET RED. Could not resist.

49. Cook on the range : SAUTE. As opposed to using the oven, not out in the fields.

52. Conspires : PLOTS. Some authors are great at plots some at creating characters, the great ones do both.

53. Poke, kitten-style : PAW AT. For all the kitty lovers this LINK.

55. Elegance : STYLE. Like C.C.'s puzzles and blogs.

56. Note next to a red F, maybe : SEE ME. A nice shout out to all of our teachers past and present.

57. Miscue : ERROR.

59. Circular road : BELT. Like at NCIS.

60. Frothy traditional beverage : NOG. EGGsactly.

61. "__ of Destruction": 1965 protest song : EVE. No wonder my generation is all a little crazy with this our ANTHEM. (3:37) Very graphic and violent.

62. Pallid : WAN. This clue pales in comparison to others.

64. Peeples of "Fame" : NIA. I leave you with this memory

Well another Friday and another month almost gone; thanks for inviting me in and see you next time. If you want information on Pancho read his INTERVIEW. Lemonade out.

PS for Dennis, there actually two Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger House restaurants in the area, the other is at 4201 N. Federal Highway, a little south of Commercial. Jack Berry the founder was a wonderful man, and a good friend who died in 2011. If I could get his burgers and 5 guys fries I would weigh a ton. Pompano is just over a two mile walk for me, and Ft. Lauderdale 3 miles.

Here is an article from our LAT constructor Mangesh Ghogre regarding his forthcoming visit to the US as a judge for the ACPT. I especially enjoyed the last paragraph, so true! Click here to see his picture with Will Shortz during the Judges' Dinner.

Thursday, March 29, 2012 Elizabeth A. Long

Theme: T-boned birds. See this answer grid where the birds are in aqua color. Four pair of birds are linked in a “T” shape in this clever theme. To demonstrate, I will show you the theme graphically. Notice that the crossing birds have exactly the same number of letters on each side of the "T", and each "T" is in a different orientation in the grid:

7D Escapade: LARK (Down). Just on a lark...

4A Get down: SWALLOW. Great clue!

SWALLOW
A

R

K

26D: Golfer's coup: EAGLE (Down). Even better, an "Ace"!

39A Dupe: GULL. "Gull" someone into doing something, or dupe them.

E
A
GULL
L
E

35D "Network" Oscar winner: FINCH (Down). Peter Finch, in the 1976 MGM satire.

43A Simpleton: LOON. Or, crazy one, suggested by it's weird cries.

F
I
LOON
C
H

58D Peacenik: DOVE (Down). Vs. the hawk.

71A Rogers Centre baseballer: BLUEJAY. Rogers Centre is formerly the Skydome, home of Toronto's team.

D
O
V
BLUEJAY

The unifier is found at

31D Ford spanning 50 years, or a hint to the four intersecting pairs of answers to the starred clues: T-BIRD. A classic, and the one reason I wanted my sister's boyfriend. He had one of these:

There were a couple bonus birds in this one:

44A Yeats’s “LEDA and the Swan”

and

34D Penguins may be seen on them: FLOES

Marti here, to see what else we can dig up...

Across:

1. Fool : SAP

11. Test site : LAB

14. Nasty mongrel : CUR

15. "SNL" castmate of Jane and 28-Down : LARAINE. Newman. Remember her?

16. Unfavorable : ILL. 'Tis an ill wind that blows no good...

17. It may be about nothing : ADO. Much ado about nothing.

18. Supervise : OVERSEE

19. Stooge with bangs : MOE

20. Beef with a bone : RIB STEAK. Do you have a bone to pick with this clue?

22. Needled at the dentist's office? : NUMBED. So, the dentist has your number?

24. Minor league rink org. : AHL. American Hockey League. The developmental circuit for the National Hockey League. But eddyB can expand for us!

25. Haagen-Dazs shop choice : CONE. Am I the only person in America who does not like ice cream?

26. Like custard : EGGY

29. Outer: Pref. : ECTO

32. Group of workers : STAFF

36. Baba with an ax : ALI. Remember the woodcutter who stole from thieves on Tuesday?

37. Decorative beer mug : TOBY. Various conjectures for the origin of the name, but probably from the character "Sir Toby Belch", a jovial drunkard in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". Very collectible mugs, like this:

38. "That's ___ can say" : ALL I. (Oh, no....I have lots more to say!!)

41. Descendant : SCION

45. "...___put it bluntly..." : OR TO

46. '70s TV lawman Ramsey : HEC. Starring Richard Boone, it was an old-west forerunner to "CSI".

47. Red-coated cheeses : EDAMS

49. Mideast's Gulf of ___ : ADEN. Geography lesson of the day.

50. Dis : BASH. Slam, put down, back-bite, bad-mouth, decry, vilify....

51. Earth Friendly Products detergent : ECOS. With magnolia & lilies, lavender and lemongrass.

53. Coll. admissions criterion : GPA. Grade Point Average.

55. Thingy : DOODAD. Whatchamacallit...

58. Nuts : DERANGED. (It's all in your point of view. I think I am perfectly normal!)

63. Place with no vacancies, in Luke : INN. The bible, Luke 2:7, "...because there was no room for them in the inn."

64. Takeback agent, familiarly : REPO MAN. "Repossession" man, who takes your car if you don't make the payments on time!

66. Island neckwear : LEI. Combined with the greeting at 33D. South Pacific salutation : ALOHA

67. Messy place : STY. Why do pigs always get BASHed??

68. Brewery containers : ALE VATS.

69. Kind : ILK

70. Shell helmsman : COX. There's more to being the coxswain that yelling "row"! See here for a more complete list of commands and duties.

72. Famous last word? : BYE. Wait! I have more for you - don't leave yet!!

Down:

1. Injury memento : SCAR. OK, let's trade scar stories: Mine is a big slice across the bottom of my chin. I was sliding on an icy hill when I was ten, and came down hard on the front runner when I hit a huge jump. Yours?

2. Truth in Engineering sloganeer : AUDI. No competition for the T-Bird, as far as sex appeal goes!

3. "No ___" : PROB.

4. Upside-down branch hanger : SLOTH. "Bat" didn't fit.

5. Ripples : WAVELETS. Instead of wavelets last week in Florida, I was faced with "Red-flag" rip tide currents for four days. But, that didn't stop me from going in the water!

6. Field of knowledge : AREA.

8. Fleur-de-___ : LIS. My house has fleur-de-lis leaded glass windows on each floor, similar to this one:

9. Brief bridge bid : ONE NO. Usually signifying that the bidder has several high cards in more than two suits. Maybe Spitzboov can enlighten us on what type of hand he would bid with this opening?

10. Bairns : WEE-UNS. A Scottish affectation.

11. Life partner? : LIMB. I would risk life and limb to climb in the Alps, or swim in Florida rip-tides...

12. Natural burn soother : ALOE. I was smart, and used SPF 50 lotion last week, so I did not need the aloe!

13. Serviced, as a radiator : BLED. Many of our southern bloggers would have no clue about this. But believe me, having steam radiators bled in New England involves a hefty service fee!

21. "___ what?" : SAY

23. "Heavy" music : METAL. Black Sabbath comes to mind...

25. Hunter in a pack : COYOTE

27. Attached, in a way : GLUED

28. See 15-Across : GILDA. Radner. So sad to see such a talent die so young of ovarian cancer.

30. Winter beverages : COCOAS. (Um, what planet are you from? My winter beverages are hot toddies, with plenty of rum!)

40. Disabled, as a horse : LAMED

42. Unwelcome : NON GRATA. Like a persona...

48. Egyptian charm : SCARAB. Like this beetle.

50. Forbid : BAN

52. 1961 Newbery Medal winner Scott : O'DELL. He won for "Island of the Blue Dolphins", based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleno Indian left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the 19th century.

54. Cultivated violet : PANSY

55. Record : DISC. You young 'uns wouldn't know about those old-fashioned things, though. Now, it's all mp3 downloads!

56. Not duped by : ON TO

57. Cameo stone : ONYX

59. Key of the last movement of Mendelssohn's Op. 64 violin concerto : E MAJ. Not quite "heavy metal". For those of more classical tastes, here is the rendition by the great Heifitz, conducted by none other than Toscanini. The concerto starts in E Minor in the first "allegro" movement, switches to C Major in the "andante" second movement, and then a final change to E Major in the third "allegretto" movement.

60. Slick, as a speaker : GLIB

61. Slippery : EELY

62. Legendary Haarlem leaker : DIKE. I was thinking of the Harlem Globe Trotters, DUH!!! This clue refers to the dike that was plugged by the hero of Haarlem, in the story "Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates".

65. Little, in Lille: PEU. Just a little French word to finish off the day's offering!

 

Hugs,

Marti

Note from C.C.:Melissa and her daughter visited NY last month. Here are some wonderful photos from their trip. Click each one to enlarge. Melissa appears in photo 54. Look at photo 27, incredible! But which girl doesn't want to be at Serendipity?